View From the Manse 2.0

 Last fall I taught a Sunday school class on the minor prophet of Zechariah. I knew then that our Advent series in 2024 would be from this little, oft-overlooked book. Why is that? Some have called Zechariah, “The gospel according to Zechariah.” Bryan Gregory chose to name his commentary on Zechariah, Longing for God in an Age of Discouragement. Think about that title for a moment. Are we living in an age of discouragement? Many of us perhaps feel that we are. Consider these words from another Old Testament scholar regarding the theme of Zechariah,

“Writing to people who were discouraged by living, after the exile, in a “day of small things” (Zech. 4:10), when there seemed to be little progress toward the glorious future promised in the earlier prophets, Zechariah encouraged them to look forward to the day when the Lord would act once again. The righteous King was coming to bring salvation and to bring an end to war and suffering (Zech. 9:9–17)." (Iain Duguid)

          The New Testament authors quote Zechariah more than any other minor prophet. Over and again, Zechariah points us to the coming Messiah. He directs our gaze away from our moment and towards our future hope in the God who keeps his promises. Sometimes we have a hard time keeping our eyes on the light of God’s promise when we feel surrounded by an encroaching darkness of strife, sin, grief, and death. If you are entering this Advent season aware of the darkness, then perhaps the message of Zechariah is for you. Fleming Rutledge writes, “The Advent season, properly understood, is designed to help us understand this ‘Endarkenment.’ It strengthens us for life in the real world, where there are malignant forces actively working against human well-being and the divine purposes of God.” But Zechariah reminds us that the dark will not get the final word. God’s light has already broken into history in the birth of the Son of God in Bethlehem and He will soon come again and make the world right. If you want to prepare for Advent and our time in Zechariah, take some time and read this minor (short) prophet in the Old Testament. Or watch a video by the Bible Project on YouTube that explains the Zechariah’s themes.

          On an entirely different note, have you seen our new logo? Ida Williams took some time and developed a logo for us that includes a cross and some thistles. I love it and think she did a wonderful job. You can see the logo on our Facebook page and our website. Would you be interested in a magnet for your car or a t-shirt with this logo? If so, let me know.

 

 Bryan Fitzgerald, Pastor (bryan@argylepresbyterian.org)

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